Falling Asleep in an Elevator
by LileyKigoSpashleyRizzslesLover
Summary: Lt. Grant comes back, wanting another chance with Jane. Is Maura going to let that happen? Jane/Maura. Oneshot.


A/N: I do not own R&I. Also, I have a poll up on my profile page about which one of my R&I stories I should do a sequel to. It's been up for a while but, since there's only been four votes so far, I thought I'd announce it here. I hope you enjoy this story.

XXXXX

"Wanna get a drink?" Jane was sitting on the couch with Joe Friday talking to Maura on the phone and watching reruns of Cops.

"Of course." Maura replied. She had anticipated this request, as they go out to drink every Friday night. She was currently looking for something to wear. "Meet you there at 8?"

"Of course." Jane hung up the phone and then hopped off the couch. She liked this routine they had going. Drinks every Friday, usually being followed by Maura staying the night. Unintentionally, of course. Since Jane's place was closer they usually hung out there afterwards until Maura felt okay enough to drive home.

Jane went to freshen up and then decided to head out early, hoping to snag their usual booth before it got too crowded.

She wasn't so lucky. The place was packed but, with her sharp eye, she spotted two seats at the bar that were unoccupied. She sat down before anyone else could. A few minutes later her phone rang.

"Rizzoli." She answered. Due to the noise she had to cover her other ear to be able to hear.

"Hey, Jane! What's up?"

Jane's brow furrowed at the familiar voice. She couldn't place it. "Uh…"

"Don't tell me you've forgotten about me already." The voice had a playful tone to it.

"Gr – Grant?" She was surprised. She hadn't talked to him since he left.

"The one and only. Listen, Rizzoli, I just got back to town and I was wondering if maybe we could catch up." He seemed hopeful.

"I don't know… I'm, uh… busy." She really didn't want to see him right now. She was going through a hard enough time trying to sort through her feelings for Maura she didn't feel like complicating things by adding their past into the mix.

"A case?" He probed, interested in hearing about what his old unit was up to.

"I have a life, you know. It's not all about work." It was getting hard to understand him with all the noise around her but she didn't want to leave. It was almost 8.

"I can hear that. Where are you? The usual place?"

"N- no!" She lied. "I'm at home." She winced as that came out of her mouth. That almost as bad as Maura. Totally unsuccessful.

"Right…" He wasn't convinced. "So if I happen to find you out tonight, what say I buy you a drink, huh?"

"Listen, Grant, I really can't – "

"Oh, wait, I see… got a boyfriend already?"

"Something like that."

"Alright, I'll play your game. See you later, Rizzoli." He hung up.

Jane felt dreadful. He was a nice guy; she didn't want to hurt him. Just as she let out a sigh she was joined by Maura.

"Hey Jane." She took notice of the contraction of the facial muscles that indicate worry. "What's wrong?" She put her hand on her shoulder in support of whatever it was.

"I just got a call from Grant."

"That's great!" She bounced up in her seat but then slowed to a stop when she noticed the menacing glare she was receiving from the girl next to her. "It's not great?"

"No, it's not. I really didn't want to see him again. At least not for a while."

Maura's head tilted in confusion. "But…I thought you liked him."

"Yeah, well… things changed." Jane involuntarily glanced over at Maura.

"Like what?" Maura leaned in closer. Partly due to the noise and partly because she subconsciously wanted to be closer to Jane.

"Never mind. I don't really feel like talking about it, okay?" She gave Maura a look that indicated her seriousness. "How bout a beer?"

"I think I'll stick to my usual martini tonight."

"Suit yourself." Jane shrugged then raised her hand up to signal to the bartender that they were ready. They ordered their drinks and soon they were talking about the week they had just gone through.

"Yeah, and I can't believe Frost said that! I was like – " Jane paused midsentence as she glanced behind Maura and saw the door open. Grant walked in. "Oh crap."

"That's not really an appropriate response, Jane. If I recall correctly you – "

Jane moved her hands in front of Maura to indicate her to stop talking. "No, not that." She pointed behind her. "_That._"

Maura turned around. "Oh… I see." She swiveled back to be face-to-face with Jane. "Are you going to talk to him?"

"No, I'm not gonna talk to him!" Jane reeled back as if that idea was completely insane. "I'm gonna stay right here and hope he doesn't see us."

That plan was successful for about two seconds.

"Crap, he saw me!" She looked over at Maura with a helpless expression on her face. She wasn't sure what to do. An idea came to her but she didn't have much time to think it out. "Kiss me."

Maura was looking over at Grant so she nearly got whiplash when she twisted her head around to face Jane. "What?"

"Just do it… please? Maybe he'll get the idea that I'm taken and not up for talking." She was desperate, though she didn't know why. All she knew was that he was approaching the two of them quickly.

"I'm not going to be an accessory to lying!" Maura was serious. Her expression softened. "Maybe you should just talk to him, Jane."

"Or maybe you should just kiss me!" Her pleading eyes stared into hazel orbs, hoping for a way out of this.

"Hey Jane!" Grant yelled, no more than five feet away.

Oh, to hell with it. Jane grabbed Maura by the sides of her face and brought her closer. Their lips met.

Grant just stood there in awe. He blinked a few times and then turned on his heel and left. He could take a hint.

Maura and Jane, however, stayed in that position for a good minute. A very good minute. They didn't really move their lips together; they were just stuck there.

Jane was too afraid to move. She was just hoping Grant was gone.

Maura just couldn't move. She was practically paralyzed. The action had caught her off-guard, yes, but what really surprised her was what she was feeling right now. It was incredible.

After the minute was up Jane pulled away hastily, glancing around. She let out a sigh of relief when she realized her plan had worked. "Sorry about that. Your drink's on me, kay?"

Maura was still trying to reorient herself. "Yeah, Jane… no problem." The absence of Jane's lips on her own was more surprising than having them there in the first place. She's never felt so… empty. She looked away from Jane. Oh no… she felt it coming. She hated not being able to control the connection between her amygdala and her lacrimal gland. As tears were almost fully formed in her eyes Maura got up. As she spoke her voice was nearly close to breaking with emotion. "Excuse me; I need to use the restroom." She got away from there as fast as she could.

She threw the restroom door open to find a few girls looking strangely at her for the sudden action. Maura just ignored them and went to the nearest sink to try and compose herself. "Alright, Maura. Come on, you can do this!" She was trying, and failing, to convince herself not to cry.

"Maura, you okay?" Jane had sensed something was off with the blonde and decided to follow her after she had been gone for a few minutes. She walked over and stood behind her, placing a comforting hand on shoulder and staring at the tear stained face in the mirror.

"Yeah, sorry." She felt foolish. She wasn't even completely sure why she reacted that way. She let out a sigh. "Let's just get back to our drinks."

Jane nodded and led the way back. She was a little worried about her best friend. She was so distracted with her thoughts of Maura she didn't see that there was someone waiting by their previously occupied seats until it was too late. She let out a frustrated groan as she realized there was no getting out of this one. "What do you want, Grant?"

"I want to tell you how I feel. Okay, I understand that you're with her now but… I love you, Jane."

Maura felt unusually… protective of the girl in front of her. She knew Jane was not in any danger but she felt like she had to do something. "So do I!" She declared firmly, stepping forward to join Jane at her side.

Jane's eyebrow shot up. She gazed over at the blonde and saw that she had fire in her eyes. She felt deep warmth that she couldn't really explain and, at the same time, she felt fear for her childhood friend's safety. She decided that the best course of action was to appease the M.E. and play along. She put her arm around Maura's shoulders and brought her closer, their bodies molded together.

Lt. Grant didn't want to give up without a fight. He knew Jane was someone special and he didn't want to lose her. Especially not to someone like Maura. There's no way she would be able to treat Jane the way she's meant to be treated. She always had her hands in a cadaver whenever he saw her so it wasn't possible she was compassionate enough to care for Jane. Of course he would never say that aloud to either of them because, frankly, they both scared him.

He stepped forward anyway. "Jane, please… hear me out." He tried to ignore the death glare he was getting from Maura and looked into Jane's eyes. "Come on, we can be happy together."

"Maybe," Jane conceded, "but I'd never be truly happy. I know I may not seem like the type but I believe in true love, and I don't think you're it."

"So what? _She's_ it?" He gestured towards Maura with disgust.

"Hey," She stopped his hand with a grip that rivaled a python. "You left, remember? A lot has happened since then and _she_ has been there for me through it all."

He rolled his eyes. "You mean the whole Hoyt thing? I could have been there if you just called me!"

"Well I'm sorry I didn't think to do that when there was a crazed serial killer out to get me!" She had enough. Her arm pushed against Maura rather forcefully, guiding her in the direction of the door.

As they exited they heard Grant shout over the noise. "She'll never be good enough for you!"

The chilly air bit at their skin. Jane glared at the door, as if it would get through. They continued on towards Jane's apartment not too far away, Jane's arm still was around Maura's shoulder.

Maura was pensive during their walk. She mulled a few things over in her mind before speaking. "What if he's right?" She asked as they entered Jane's building.

"What? That you're not good enough for me? Good job by the way, I thought you said you couldn't lie."

"I… I can't." Maura perplexed face took on a blush as she paused briefly and then resumed her train of thought. "What if he really is best for you? You shouldn't have just rejected him so easily, Jane."

"Trust me, it wasn't easy. I've known him since forever; I didn't want to hurt his feelings. I just… I know that he's not the one." Jane pressed the button for the elevator.

"How could you possibly know that?"

"Well, he can't be if I'm in love with someone else, right?" Jane felt a bit vulnerable when she confessed this to Maura. They've discussed things like this before but… Jane was scared.

"Oh. Yes, then that makes sense." Maura felt hurt… maybe even a little betrayed. Sure they only knew each other for a few months but Maura considered Jane her best friend. She would certainly tell her if there was anyone she was in love with.

The elevator doors opened. They moved to the side as two people got off. The button indicating Jane's floor lit up when she pressed it.

The doors closed.

Jane looked at Maura and noticed the hurt look on her face. "Honey, look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I was just-"

Jane's words stopped as the elevator came to a sudden violent halt. The room started shaking and the two girls held on to each other, scared for their lives.

It stopped just as soon as it started.

They pulled away and looked at each other.

"What just happened?" Maura asked.

"I don't know." She pressed the door open button. It didn't work. She then sighed and pushed the button next to it labeled 'push for alarm'. "We may be here a while. The last time someone got stuck it took them a few hours to get him out." She was still a little unsure about moving around too much. "I'm just worried about that shaking. That couldn't have been normal."

"Don't worry Jane, only an average of 26 people die in the U.S. each year in elevator caused fatalities."

"How many people this year so far?" She shot a pointed look at the doctor.

"I don't know. But most of the fatalities are elevator technicians so you have nothing to worry about."

"Thank you. I feel _so_ much better." Jane said sarcastically. She sat down against the back wall.

Maura just shook her head and joined her. She was only trying to help quell her fears in such a dire situation.

"Y'know this wouldn't be so bad if I got more than one beer out of tonight." Jane pulled out her cell phone to check for reception. No service. "Hey, wait a minute…" Jane turned to look at Maura with a questioning tone in her voice, just remembering something. "Didn't you tell me that you faint when you lie?"

"The one time I did, yes, that happened."

"And you didn't pass out just now?" Jane examined the doctor. "Hmm… very odd."

"Wha- what are you talking about, Jane?" There was a slight tremble in her voice.

"You weren't lying, were you?"

"About?"

Jane gave her a 'you-have-got-to-be-kidding-me' look. "You _know_ what about."

Maura's brows furrowed as she recalled the events that spanned the last hour. Her brain stopped working when she remembered something. It didn't even seem like she was the one who said it. "When I said 'so do I'?"

"Yeah…" Jane turned so her back was against the side wall in order to get a better view of Maura. "Anything you want to tell me?" She asked softly.

"What about you?" Maura got defensive. "Here you are in love with someone and you won't even tell me who he is!"

Jane sighed. She didn't want to get into that right now. At least not until Maura answered her question.

"I didn't even realize I said it till now. I'm sorry, Jane." Maura's voice was uncharacteristically small. She tried to scoot over to the other side of the elevator to give Jane some space but Jane grabbed her hand.

"Maura…" Jane's heart was heavy with emotion and it showed as her breathing picked up.

"No, Jane." She pulled away from her. "It was a mistake. I shouldn't have said anything."

"No, Maura, you didn't do anything wrong. I was the one who was too afraid of my feelings to confront them earlier." Maura was staring at the wall but Jane knew she was listening. "You're the one."

Maura's head turned slowly toward the brunette with a quizzical look on her face. "The one?"

"You know? The one true love? My soul mate?" Jane said lovingly. "I don't think I'll ever find someone like you again. Someone who makes me feel so… complete." She tried for Maura's hand again, this time with success. "I'm sorry I didn't realize it sooner."

"Jane," Maura breathed, unable to handle the tension she's been feeling since their first kiss. She scooted up comfortably against Jane, placing her right hand against the brunette's cheek. They leaned in, this time much less hurried and more drawn out. It was like they wanted it to last forever.

Their lips met with some familiarity. The same spark was there as before, only this time there was no interruptions and no 'what ifs'.

Their lips danced, gliding against one another as if performing a beautifully rehearsed dance. Their faces showed pure ecstasy as their dreams, hidden for so long, finally came true.

Maura was the first to pull back. She caressed Jane's cheek with her thumb as a smile slowly appeared on her face.

"What now?" Maura asked, gazing into the chocolate eyes of her best friend.

"What else?" Jane smiled. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

"I'd love to!" Maura leaned forward, wrapping Jane in a hug. Before she pulled back she kissed the delicate flesh of Jane's neck.

"How long did you say it took last time?" Maura asked rather suggestively. Jane got the hint.

"No, Maura!" She warned. "There are cameras in here."

"Oh." Maura shrunk. "Well… I guess we could… talk, then." She suggested.

"Or…" Jane got up. "We could find a way out of here." She walked over to the doors and looked at them for a moment before placing her fingers in the crease. She pulled, the doors gave way slightly. It was no use, however, as it was revealed that they were directly in-between floors. Only concrete was visible. She sighed and then glanced up. The service hatch! She reached up toward it but was stopped by Maura's hand.

"Jane, it's actually safer if we wait it out. And besides it hasn't been that long."

"I know… I just don't want to be the next Cypriot Papajohn. Or Nicholas White for that matter."

"I don't either but that's statistically improbable." She hugged Jane and then pulled her back down.

Jane smiled at Maura. She was always looking on the bright side, that is, if the bright side is backed by scientific evidence. "Okay…" Jane situated herself in the corner and then pulled Maura to her, acting as her pillow. They just sat there in a comfortable silence, only slightly anxious because of where they were.

"Primitive elevators were being used as early as the third century B.C. They were operated by humans, animals or water wheel power. Power elevators didn't come about until the middle of the nineteenth century and were often steam powered. And in 1853, Elisha Otis created a safety device to prevent falling in case a supporting cable should break. Because of this he was able to establish a company for manufacturing elevators."

"Of course you would know that." She looked down at the walking encyclopedia and smiled fondly. "You know I take back what I said about college. You're the only library I need."

"Aww Jane, that's so sweet. But you know I don't know everything."

"What? That an attacker is a position in field hockey? Like I said before: such a gaping hole in your education."

"That's not what I meant Jane, I mean… For example, the other day I was reading an article on _Concavenator corcovatus_ that further suggests that modern day birds came from dinosaurs because there was evidence of feathers in the fossils. I didn't know that."

"Yeah, and when they find that out?"

"Last week."

"That just further proves my point! I bet you I could ask you anything and you'll know the answer."

Maura's eyebrow shot up in intrigue. She hadn't played a game like this since college. She always won, of course. "Okay, Jane you're on."

"Alright, um…" She placed her finger to her chin in thought. "In what year did the Red Sox get their name?"

"1907, they had previously been called the Americans but owner John I. Taylor changed the name. Jane, I live here too. You're gonna have to do better than that."

"Arrgh…" She wracked her brain for something harder. She brightened when she came up with one she was sure not even Maura could answer. "What is love?"

Maura was expecting another sports related question so, understandably, this one threw her. "Love?" She considered it for a second and then answered. "Well love in the sense of 'no score' in tennis, which dates back to 1792, means 'playing for love' or, essentially, playing for nothing. Others theorize it came from the French word for egg – L'oeuf – because of the egg's resemblance to a zero."

"Not what I meant, Miss Literal."

"Okay… if you were referring to the feeling you and I are experiencing right now then love is when the ventral tegmental area in the brain causes a flood of dopamine to go to the caudate nucleus. The caudate then signals for more dopamine; the more dopamine, the more 'in love' a person feels. It's interesting to note that the same system becomes activated when someone takes cocaine."

"Holy crap," Jane was a little shocked at the statement. "So, basically, you just proved that love is a drug. And once again, you are being too literal."

Maura's face scrunched up in confusion. "Then I believe I misinterpreted the question."

Jane just smiled at the girl. "Never mind."

"No, Jane, I want to know. What's the answer?"

Jane didn't know. That's why she was asking Maura in the first place. But, suddenly, an answer came to her. "Love is… this." She leaned forward and placed a kiss to her lips. She pulled back and smiled at Maura before speaking. "Did you feel that? That's love."

"But… It's something I can't explain. It's like… magic." Maura felt foolish not being able to put her thoughts into words that had some facts to back them up. She sighed, frustrated. "I don't know how else to explain it."

"No, you're right, Maura. Love _is_ magic; something that can't be explained."

"Well actually magic is-" Maura's Google mouth started up again but Jane silenced it with a finger to the blonde's lips.

"Maura." Sure she found the trait endearing but… it was getting to be too much. And besides, she liked having magic remain a mystery.

"Sorry." Maura said sheepishly.

"Don't be. I just… wanna lay here with you."

Maura nodded her head. They re-situated themselves so Jane was comfortably against the wall and Maura's head was in her lap. Jane contently stroked the blonde locks beneath her until she remembered something. She spoke softly, trying not to ruin the mood.

"Ma invited me over for dinner tomorrow night, wanna come? If we ever get out of here, that is."

"I don't know. Isn't that more of a family thing?" She glanced up to see Jane smirking down at her.

"Maura, you _are _family. They're practically your in-laws."

"Do you think they'll react negatively to the news?" She was a little nervous about that. She liked the Rizzoli's. She'd hate it if they rejected her because she was in love.

"Not really. In fact just the other day Ma told me she didn't care what gender I liked so long as I have kids. And Pop is bound to just follow with whatever Ma says."

Maura smiled. Angela _would_ say that. "Okay, It'll be fun!"

"Fun? Remind me, which family did I introduce you to?"

"Jane." Maura swatted her arm. "They're not as bad as you think they are."

"Thirty years of experience says otherwise."

"Jane," Maura's tone took on a more somber quality. "It's just that I think it's so wonderful that you _have_ a family to spend time with."

"Oh, Maura." Her hands went down to the doctor's face and she began to caress her cheek. "I didn't mean it like that. I just… sometimes they get on my nerves, you know?"

Maura nodded in partial understanding.

They stayed like that, Jane running her hand through Maura's locks, until they both fell asleep.

XXXXX

"You guys okay?" A guy with a hard hat on peered through the door.

Jane slowly blinked her eyes open, squinting against the harsh light from outside. She looked down and noticed Maura was still asleep on her lap. She shook her awake and then regarded the man. "Yeah… we're fine… just a little annoyed."

Maura sat up and stretched, trying to get out all the kinks that had developed over the past few hours of slumbering on the cold hard surface.

"Understandable." He nodded his head in agreement and then offered his hand to the brunette. She waved it off and stood up on her own. Maura soon followed.

"How long were we in there?"

"Well it's been about thirteen hours since you hit the alarm."

"Aww too bad, Jane. You're about five days and twelve hours off from making the world record."

Jane gave Maura a joking sneer before thanking the man who let them out. Then they headed up to the apartment. They used the stairs.

When they opened the door Joe Friday was grumbling in annoyance. She was hungry. Jane made a beeline to the kitchen to get her some food. "I'm sorry, Joe. It wasn't my fault, I swear."

Maura smiled at her girlfriend's interaction with the dog. "Hey, Jane, why don't we head over to my place until dinner tonight? You can take her. I'm sure she and Bass will get along excellently."

"Oh yeah," Jane started sarcastically, placing Joe's food dish on the floor, "the dog and the turtle. Sounds like a new sitcom." After sure that Joe was content she made her way towards her room.

"Tortoise, Jane!"

"Whatever!" Jane said, waving off the comment.

Maura watched the door close. She let out a happy sigh as the events of the past day settled themselves in her brain. Sure it was horrible being trapped in an elevator for so long but, she knew, she wouldn't have it any other way.


End file.
